


With the Aroma of Coffee

by ImaKaraTabiHe



Series: Flashwaveweek2017 [1]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Blackmail, Falling In Love, FlashWave Week 2017, Fluff and Humor, M/M, rude customers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-12-20 13:34:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11921967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImaKaraTabiHe/pseuds/ImaKaraTabiHe
Summary: Barry's having a bad day off.  Honestly, why did he agree to this?





	With the Aroma of Coffee

There were things that Barry accomplished in his life, things that made him feel capable, made him feel useful. He'd studied his way through college and into his degree for criminal investigating and had gotten a job as a CSI with the Central City police that Joe was employed at. He solved many cases, fact and otherwise. Barry could look at a crime scene and tell how many people there were, whether they had a limp or not. He even hunted down and debunked mysteries that he'd taken on in an attempt to find his mom's killer.

Barry Allen was a capable CSI.

Yet there were times when he felt less than capable.

Like now.

“Hello, welcome to Jitters, what can I get for you?” Barry said, plastering as smile on his face.

“Yeahhh~ I'll have the Mayan Coffee with a double shot of espresso and creamed honey,” a man in a smart looking suit said.

“Would you like a small, medium, or large?” Barry questioned, internally beating himself up about how he'd let Iris trick him into helping her out on his day off. _On his day off._ How?  He'll never let himself be tricked when she clasps her hands in front of him and puts on her best pout to “ask him a favor” again. 

The man raised an eyebrow. “Obviously, I want a medium. Small is too scant, and large is too much.”

“Oh, I see. You're right about that,” Barry replied, smiling and trying to appear like he agreed.

“You'd probably know that if you were doing more with your life than working at a coffee shop,” the man mentioned, slipping his expensive wallet from his pocket.

It's official. Barry swears that if one more person tries to imply that he's some penniless, ignorant person with no passion whatsoever to make a difference, he's going to deck them. It's not like they could fire him anyways. He's not an employee.

“Is that going to be it for you, sir?” he grinds out, eye twitching with anger.

Bored, the man replied, “I have my wallet out, don't I?”

Barry was seriously going to grind his teeth down if he didn't find a way to get rid of all this pent up anger. …Dumping the man's Mayan Coffee over his head seemed like an appealing way.

Swallowing it, he spoke, “Your total's $4.50.”

The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a debit card. He actually handed it to Barry instead of inserting it himself. “Be good and do that for me, will you?”

_Excuse me?_

Barry was lucky he'd been shown how to run a card on the register. He swiped it with a vengeful snap and then handed it back to the man. “Please, enter your pin.”

The man put a hand over the card machine and typed in his pin. Barry wanted to roll his eyes, but he knew that Iris would punch him for the “lack of polite manners”. Honestly, he was getting tired of that excuse.

Instead of waiting to be handed his receipt the man snatched it from the machine. “Um, sir?” Barry tried. “I need that first one.”

The man turned around seeming to either not hear him or not care. Barry had a feeling it was the latter. “Sir?”

Just when Barry thought he might have to figure out and excuse to Iris about not getting the part the store keeps, a hand fell upon the man's shoulder. “The Doll's talkin' to you, and you're being awfully rude to him.” His breath caught in his throat as he fixed his eyes on the owner of the hand. Man, was he a dream. He was big and his figure muscled, face magnificently well sculptured. And his _voice._ Oh gosh. Barry couldn't help but imagine that voice whispering softly in his ear. It was low and gruff, but it washed over him like a wave, making him feel safe.

“I don't-” The rude man turned around, angrily, but at the sight of the other man, his face paled and he became much more meek. “I um, didn't hear him. He should've spoken louder,” he stumbled over his words.

'I did,' Barry wanted to huff out.

“He did.”

Oh. Oh, Barry liked this guy. A lot.

The man looked flustered as he returned the first receipt, muttering a quick “Excuse me,” before grabbing his drink, that had been silently set in front of him as he returned the receipt and fled.

Barry cleared his throat, grabbing the new man's attention. “Thank you. For what you did, I mean. You really looked great – I mean!” Blood rushed into Barry's cheeks as the man quirked an eyebrow. “You did great – with that. I can't imagine yo u doing otherwise, but, um, thank you.”

'Well… I'm officially an idiot…'

He watched as the man's lips curled in a soft smirk. “Not a problem, Doll. Anythin' to get that stuck up jerk outta here.”

“I'm Barry.” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, so he decided to just give up trying to control his mouth. “It's nice to meet you.”

“Mick,” the man – _Mick_ replied. “S'nice to meet you too, Doll.”

Barry could've stared into his fiery eyes forever, but an “Ahem!” brought him back to reality.“What, um, can I get for you?”

“Two coffees. One black with just cream and for mine… Hazelnut cream,” Mick ordered, little contemplating required.

“Coming right up,” Barry said, unable to get his mind off the man as he took Mick's money and then handed him his change. “It'll be ready for you in just a moment,” Barry told him.

“Mary?”

One of Iris' coworkers turned when he said her name. “Can you…?”

Mary's eyes twinkled. He had the sneaking suspicion that she could see what he was trying to keep hidden. “Of course,” she replied, taking over the register. “Hello, welcome to Jitters...”

Barry took over getting Mick's order ready. It wasn't a difficult order. Really, it was so simple that it almost made him sigh with sadness. Soon Mick would have what he came for and then he'd be gone. He may not ever see him again.

Unless…

Heart pounding in his throat, Barry pulled a pen from his pocket and wrote. He grabbed a pastry and slipped it into a white paper bag. “Mick?”

The man looked up, eyes making a warm sigh slip from his lips. “Your order's ready,” Barry told him.

Mick frowned, confused for a moment. “Didn't order anything but the coffee, Doll.”

“It's free with an order of plain black coffee,” Barry fibbed. “Is it your first time here?” It had better be, or else…

“Yeah,” Mick grunted, taking the coffees in a tote Barry had prepared for him and the paper bag. “Thanks, Doll.” He smiled at Barry.

“Anytime!” Barry beamed at him. Anytime at all, really. Barry would be more than happy to have that man smile at him anytime at all. And maybe a little more wouldn't hurt….

“I – um, have a good day!” Barry blurted out, making the man laugh as his face reddened like a tomato from embarrassment. Iris always told him he let his mouth run off with him, and well… She wasn't wrong.

“You too, Doll,” Mick's smile softened at him. “'m glad I could help.”

Barry's heart fluttered as he tracked Mick's form exiting the coffee shop. The door dinged as it closed behind him and Barry let out a sigh.

“Bartholomew Allen!” Iris' voice squealed.

'Uh-oh…'

  


  


Mick walked into the safe house, still thinking about that cute barista from Jitters. His face was so soft and his eyes lit up like the sun. He could get used to that… “I'm back.”

Len poked his head out from the kitchen. “About time,” his partner grumbled. “You've been gone for 2 hours 15 minutes.”

He rolled his eyes. 'Always the nitpicker…' Mick thrust Len's coffee into his hand. “Here, ya drama queen. Drink it and hush.”

“Hey!” Len gasped, offended. “I'm not a 'drama queen'.” Mick ignored him. It was easier that way. At least, until Len plucked the pastry bag from his hand. “What's this?” Len pulled out the pastry. It was a large cinnamon roll with the perfect amount of white frosting decorating the top.

“Came with the coffee,” Mick gruffly explained.

Len's brows furrowed with confusion. “No, it doesn't. It's one of the most expensive and delicious pastries at Jitters.”

Now, Mick was confused too. Why would the Doll say it came with the coffee if it didn't?

“Oh!” Len's exclamation drew Mick's attention, and he watched as Len pulled a piece of paper from the bag. “Who's Barry?” the thief asked, eyes glimmering with interest at Mick.

Flushing lightly, Mick quickly snatched the paper from Len's hand. “Not for you,” he hissed, ears burning as he fled from his partner.

“Mick?” Len called out after him. “If you start dating him, I call dibs on all your free cinnamon rolls!”

'Like Hell.' He might get this one pastry, but after this? Never again. For now though… Mick had some planning to make and a certain young man with beautiful eyes to call...

**Author's Note:**

> First event week, so sorry for any mistakes on my part.


End file.
